Arms, explosives seized
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 7: Two militants reportedly escaped after an encounter with security forces at village Kwath under the jurisdiction of Chatroo police station in Kishtwar district in early hours of this morning leaving behind arms, ammunition and explosive material.
Reports said a joint team of Army and police launched a search operation at village Kwath in upper reaches of Chatroo early today after developing reports that at least two militants could be present in the area.
Reports had been pouring in that a fresh cadre of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit Abu Akasha and a local recruit Babbar Hussain of village Kushal could be hiding in village Kwath.
An encounter ensued between the two sides, which continued for sometime. The militants escaped leaving behind arms, ammunition and explosive material, which have been seized by the security forces and police.
A joint search operation continued in Chatroo forests to trace the militants, reports said.
Recoveries made from the site of gunbattle included one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), three rounds, one Chinese grenade, six packets of explosives, two magazines and 40 rounds of AK and about a dozen detonators.
Reports said security forces and police had inputs that Abu Akasha, a recently inducted militant of the LeT outfit and new local recruit Babbar Hussain of Kushal could be hiding in Kwath. It was on the basis of this information that the search operation was planned.
Reliable sources said security agencies and police were still verifying whether there were really the newly inducted militants Abu Akasha and Babbar Hussain in the encounter or some other militants of Kishtwar and Doda.
Some agencies had reports that a Lashkar militant with the name and style of Abu Akasha had been inducted into Kishtwar to boost the sagging morale of militants, who were on the run.
Three militants, wanted by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in connection with September 7, 2011 blast outside Delhi High Court, were also hiding in upper reaches of Kishtwar.
Three militants, whose names had figured in the blast, have been identified as Shakeer Ahmed alias Chotta Haafiz, Aamir Kamal alias Kamran and Junaid Akram Malik, all residents of Kishtwar.
Another militant, Mohammad Shaffi, who was being searched in upper reaches of Kishtwar though not being involved in Delhi blast was reportedly accompanying the wanted trio, sources said.
They added that reports available with security forces, police and Intelligence agencies revealed that Chotta Haafiz was hiding in Kidroo forests while Aamir Kamal and Junaid Akram Malik were shifting their hideouts in Dachchan area of Kishtwar. Mohammad Shaffi also kept on changing hideouts in the upper reaches but was reportedly in touch with all three militants.
Sources said security forces and Kishtwar police were in constant hunt of three militants. At one point of time, Chotta Haafiz was trapped in Kidroo but he managed to escape giving a slip to police before the arrival of reinforcement.
Plainclothesmen of police and Intelligence agencies besides some local people were also engaged in the search operations against the militants but they remained untraced.
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